Feed-mill



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

' G. D'. ROWELL FEED MILL.

Patented Nov. 20

N PETERS- Phoblilhomphnf. WnNngtnn. D. G

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

GUILFORD D. ROVVELL, OF APPLETO N, WISCONSIN.

FEED-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,032, dated November 20, 1888.

Application filed September 9, 1887. Serial No. 240,210.

.To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUILFORD D. RowuLL, of Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feed-Mills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to improvements in the feed-mills;- and it pertains to that class which is used for grinding coarse feed for stock.

The construction of my invention is explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the complete mill. Fig.2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the operated parts of the machine above the base. Fig. 3 is a detail showing three of the fans, which are connected with the driving-shaft, by which a current of air is forced through the grinding mechanism of the machine, one fan being removed to show the aperture in the disk through which the air is forcedfrom and by the fan. Fig. 4. is a side view, part in section, of a part of the grinding mechanism, showing the fans and the air-duct leading from one of the fans through the rotating disk to which said fans are attached. Figs. 5 and 6 are details. Fig. 7 is an end View, part in section and other parts broken away, showing the crushing and grinding mechanism, the hopper and the cover of the mechanism being thrown back to show the parts beneath. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are details.

Like parts are represented by the same reference-letters throughout the several views.

A is a central supporting column, upon which the machine rests. The column A is preferably cylindrical in shape and rests upon a circular supporting-base, A.

B is the driving-shaft, which is supported and has journatbearings C O in the inclosingcase 0. The lower half of the journal-bearings G G are preferably cast in one piece with the standard A. The band-pulley D is fast on the shaft B and is provided with flanged guard D, the inner end of the pulley beingchambered for convenience of construction. The

(No model.)

hopper E is provided with a corrugated reciprocating slide or bottom, E, which slide E is inclined slightly downwardly and inwardly from one side of the hopper toward its center, terminating at its downward edge above and lengthwise of the driving-shaft. The reciprocating slide E" is provided at its outward end with a rigid arm, a. The upper end of the arm a bears against a standard, 0, which is rigid on the lever-arm d. The lever-arm cl is hinged at its inner end to the upper side of one of the journal-bearings O beneath it, and its other end bears upon the eccentric e, which eccentric is rigid on shaft B. An anti'friction bearing block, f, is interposed between the end of the lever d and the eccentric e. A spiral wire spring, is inserted between the side of the hopper E and the upwardly turned part of the arm a, which is adapted to force the arm away from the side of the hopper and hold it in contact with the standard a. This spring is supported in position by short studs projecting one from the side of the hopper and the other from the arm a and which enter the respective ends of the spring.

It will be understood that as the shaft B revolves the standard 0 is caused to oscillate by the eccentric e, and that the oscillation of the standard a and the recoil of the spring 9 cause the slide E to reciprocate endwise back and forth with each revolution of the driving-shaft B, thus producing a vibration which causes the contents of the hopper to flow downward into the feed-chamber R beneath.

The hopper is also provided on the side opposite the reciprocating slide E with an inclined movable bottom, E, (shown in Fig. 7 which is secured adjustably to the side of the hopper byaslot and set-screw, E, and adapted to be raised or lowered to increase or diminish the discharge-opening of the hopper, as may be desired, when grinding coarser or finer feed, or the same feed with greater orless rapidity. Surrounding the shaft B, within the feed-chamber B, is a sleeve, F, which at one end is provided with a clutch-face and engages a cl'utchface on the hub G, which hub G is rigid on the shaft B. The opposite end of the sleeve F has a shoulder, j, which bears against a spiral spring, h, which spring surrounds the shaft B and bears at its other end against a loose washer, i, which in turn bears against the side of the feed-chamber. An annular chamber or recess is formed in the end of the sleeve F, within the shoulderj, for the reception of said spring h. The spring h is adapted to force the revolving burr K away from the stationary burr I when not held in contact with it by the adjusting mechanism hereinafter described.

Rigid on the sleeve F are two series of lugs, 7c and it, one series being located on the opposite side of theshaft to the other series and so arranged that the lugs of one series alternate longitudinally of the sleeve with the lugs of the other series. To these lugs a series of semicircular spiral wings, I), may be attached, forming one continuous circular flange around the sleeve F, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby as the shaft revolves the contents of the chamber It is'fed to the grinding mechanism. \V hen corn in the ear is to be ground, insteadof attaching the wings b to the lugs ]t' and It, I bolt the crushing-blocks m thereto, which blocks are made in any of the three forms m, m, and m shown in Fig. 9, which blocks have a central front edge adapted to strike against and break the ears. The form 172/ is sharp at its inner edge and beveled outwardly rearwardly, and is'adapted to force the broken ears away from the grinding mechanism, thereby to some extent retarding the feed, and the form m, which is sharp at outer edge and beveled inwardly rearwardly, and is adapted to force the broken ears toward the grinding mechanism, thereby increasing the feed. A stationary scrrated grinding-plate, H,formed of chilled iron, is affixed to the burr or disk I, which burr or disk I is supported at opposite sides by the inclosing-case 0 upon pivots a it, set into the plate II and disk I, and extending to the rear of the disk I is the sleeve J, having a frustoconical chamber, S, its smaller end being inward, the walls of which chamber are grooved longitudinally. Facing and opposite the plate II is a serrated grinding-plate,-K, affixed to the disk L, which disk L is pierced centrally by the shaft B, to which shaft said disk is rigidly affixed and with which it revolves. Af. fixed to and integral with the disk L, at its rear or outer side, are four curved semi-coneshapcd fans, 0. The fans 0 are enlarged at their outer ends and converge centrally toward the supporting-shaft B, at which point an aperture, 7), is formed in said disk L, through which the air is drawn inward by the action and peculiar shape of the fans, and forced, as indicated by the arrows, through the plate L and between the grindingsurfaces II and K. These fans are adapted, through the current of air produced by their rapid revolutions, to cool the feed as it is being ground and expel the same from the chamber llI through the dischargespout 1, and by their action to rapidly remove the fecd as soon as ground from between the grin dingsurfaces, thereby greatly increasing the grinding capacity of the mill.

An aperture, (1, is formed through the side of the cover N around the shaft B for the ad-- mission of air to the chamber M as the same is exhausted or forced therefrom by the action of the fans. The aperture d is provided with a door, 1?, which is pivoted to the exterior surface of the cover N, whereby the admission of air through the inclosing-case may be limited and controlled. The hub G- around the shaft B is integral with the disk L and is located within the sleeve J. The hub G- is provided upon two opposite sides of its surface with radially-projecting spiral flanges q (1, which serve to force the feed from the chamber R- below the hopper to the grinding-surfaces. Opposite to each other on the hub G, between the flanges q and the serrated plate K, are two removable curved plates, Q Q. These plates Q are preferably formed of chilled iron, and their surfaces are formed with several series of grooved corrugations, which are adapted to crush and grind the feed as it passes between them and the inner surfaces of the corrugated sleeve J. These plates Q form a grinding mechanism especially adapted for grinding corn and cob together, shells, bones, rock-salt, and similar coarse substances, thus fitting it for being more finely ground, if so desired. One or more plates of this form may be used; but I preferably use out two, as shown in Fig. 4, between which plates is a smooth uneorrugated surface. The chamber It below the hopper is separated from the chamber in the sleeve J partially by the partition 1" above and partially by the removable partitions '1 below. The passage leading from the chamber It into the frusto-conical chamber S, bepeath the shaft, may be regulated in size, if desired, by the use of several semicircular removable partitions, T, which are inserted in the lower part of the chamber It at the end of the sleeve J, the outer edge of which partition is adapted to fit the inside of the bottom of the chamber R. I provide several of these partitions T, of different widths, as shown in Fig. 10,whereby the size of the passage may be increased or diminished, as may be required, to accommodate the quantity of feed that it is desired to force through the machine. The rotating disk or burr K is held rigidly up to its work by a strong spiral spring, U,which isinserted between the end of the shaft B and the end of an adjusting screw, s, which turns in the inclosing frame or shell 0. The screw 8 is operated by a hand-wheel, t, which is locked at any point of adjustment by a pivoted gravity latch or lever, a, one arm of which engages in notches formed in the periphery of the handwheel '6, in contact with which it is held by the weighted end 1; of said lever.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a feed-mill, the combination of the shaft B, rigidly-affixed sleeve F, lugs k and is, rigidly aff xed to or cast integral with said sleeve F, and the spirally-curved detachable flanges b b, affixed to said lugs 7c and it, so as to unite in forming a continuous spiral flange around said sleeve F, substantially as described.

2. In a feed-mill, the combination, with the driving-shaft B, of the surrounding sleeve F, 5 lugs k and 7c, flanges b b, affixed to said lugs charge of feed from one chamber to the other,

is and k, spiral flanges q q, serrated grindingsubstantially as-and for the purpose set forth.

surfaces Q Q, and grinding-burrs H and K, all In testimony whereof I affix my signature in substantially as and for the purpose described. presence of two witnesses.

terial is fed as it is partially crushed or broken, of interchangeable feed-regulating gates interposed between said supply and grinding 15 chambers and adapted to regulate the dis- 3. In a feed-mill, the combination, with a GUILFORD D. HOWELL. 1o supply-chamber provided with crushing mech- Witnesses: 7

anism and feed-conveying flanges, and with a JOHN BOT'IENSEK, grindingchamber into which the coarser Ina- D. G. ROWELL. 

